


The Girls Who Fell Through the World

by branwyns



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alice in Wonderland References, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood and Injury, F/F, Mute Neopolitan (RWBY), Neopolitan (RWBY) Uses Sign Language, Post-Volume 8 (RWBY), RWBY Volume 9 AU, Sign Language, Spoilers: Volume 8 (RWBY), because i have THOUGHTS and IDEAS and i need to get them down before v9 crushes me., gee cj why are you writing an entire volume au before we even get the v8 finale??
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-23 00:33:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30047169
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/branwyns/pseuds/branwyns
Summary: She brushed off her bumps and bruises, for nothing hurt worse than the loneliness in her chest.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Ruby Rose (implied), Blake Belladonna/Ruby Rose (one-sided), Neopolitan/Ruby Rose (RWBY)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	The Girls Who Fell Through the World

**Author's Note:**

> Ruby and Neo fall off the walkway during their fight and wind up in Wonderland. They're forced to find a way to get home while not using Jinn's final question, or asking Ambrosius for help (thus risking everyone's lives because they don't know if the evacuation is finished).
> 
> (Meanwhile, Cinder thinks she's won against Ruby and killed her, finds out she lost both relics when Ruby and Neo went over, has a crisis when she realizes Salem is almost definitely going to punish her. Team _WBY, ORNJ, Qrow, Penny, and Emerald mourn Ruby.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _They were quiet as they floated down._
> 
> _"How long do you think we'll be falling?" Ruby asked eventually. Neo shrugged._
> 
> _She adjusted Ruby and spelled with one hand, "We have to stop at some point."_
> 
> _Ruby hummed a quiet agreement._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning(s):  
> Mild injury in the form of an abrasion on Ruby's wrist that eventually bleeds

"Ruby!" Blake screamed as Ruby and Neo went over the side of one of the pathways with a fire blast from Cinder. Ruby's Aura shattered and flew up as she fell. Blake sprinted forward and threw the pistol form of Gambol Shroud after them.

She planted the sheath into the ground and held her breath in terror until she saw the ribbon go taut.

Penny's wind storm knocked Cinder away into Weiss and Winter's Glyphs. Blake looked down and saw Ruby holding onto Gambol Shroud's ribbon with one hand and Neo with the other. Crescent Rose was plummeting down into the darkness. Blake threw herself out of the way of another attack from Cinder. She would have no way to pull them up in the middle of this battle. She called out, "We're going to get you out of there, Ruby, just hang on!"

The civilians were screaming around them. The Happy Huntresses were trying to direct and protect them.

And their leader was dangling over an infinite drop into who knows where.

~~~~

"Just hold on, Neo," Ruby grunted as Gambol Shroud's ribbon cut a little tighter into her wrist. She desperately adjusted her grip on Neo's waist, trying to haul her up a little higher.

Neo wiggled a little, wrapping one arm around Ruby's shoulder. Ruby cried out when the movement caused the ribbon to tighten again.

Ruby gritted her teeth and lifted the two a little to try and relieve some of the pain in her wrist. Her Aura was still broken with no signs of regenerating any time soon. Neo's was broken, too, shattered when Ruby sent three explosive Dust bullets at her in a row, hidden by Emerald's illusion.

They were helpless until the rest of Ruby's team could haul them back up.

Ruby closed her eyes and hoped that they would be able to beat Cinder back soon.

A ball of fire skimmed by them and Ruby yelped, dropping them half a foot again and drawing blood at her wrist. She tried to bite back her moan of pain, but it just came out like a strangled gasp.

"Ruby!" Yang yelled.

Ruby readjusted her grip. "We're okay!" Blood dripped down her arm. They wouldn't last much longer. She turned her head to Neo, who was watching the blood. "Neo," Ruby said. "You...you should try to climb up. You're small enough that it shouldn't take much time."

Neo shook her head and gestured to the injury. With one hand she finger spelled " _Hurt_."

Ruby winced as an explosion up top made the ribbon sway.

Neo looked up at their only connection to the others. She pointed her pinkie at her temple and pulled it away. " _Idea."_

Single word responses would be difficult to go off of, but only one of Neo's hands was free. Ruby shifted Neo up a little higher to free her second hand from having to be wrapped around her shoulder. "What is it?"

Neo slowly unwrapped her arm from around Ruby's shoulders and pulled both hands to her. She cupped her hands in front of her chest, palms up, pulled them into fists a little lower down, then pointed at herself. Ruby shook her head in confusion. She only knew a little of sign language.

Neo repeated the motions and mouthed her intention. _Trust me._ Ruby looked up at the distant light above, then down into the abyss below, and finally back at Neo.

"Okay. Okay, I'll trust you. What...what's the plan?"

Neo nodded at her, then mimed cutting a rope.

Ruby gasped. "No way! Neo, we'll die. Neither of us have any Aura left!"

Neo gestured at her parasol, then signed again. _"Float down."_

Ruby bit her lip, looked up again. Another explosion. More screams. If Cinder thought she was dead...maybe...

"Okay."

" _You sure?"_

Ruby nodded. "Cinder might stop if she thinks she's won. Plus...we can get back later. I think."

Neo pulled her sword out, leaned up, and sliced through Gambol Shroud's ribbon just above Ruby's wrist, dropping the two into the gaping abyss below.

Ruby heard the screams of her friends as they realized the ribbon went slack and she gripped onto the piece of Gambol Shroud she still had tied around her wrist. Neo let go of her and Ruby's heart dropped into her stomach. She closed her eyes and tried not to imagine how bad it would hurt when she hit the bottom.

Ruby's eyes flew open when a hand wrapped around hers again. Her descent immediately slowed down. She looked up and saw Neo's gloved hand wrapped around hers. Neo pulled her up and grabbed around her waist. Ruby held onto Neo's shoulders.

"Why did you let go?" she gasped.

Neo nodded up at her parasol.

"Oh. You had to put it back together."

She nodded again.

They were quiet as they floated down.

"How long do you think we'll be falling?" Ruby asked eventually. Neo shrugged.

She adjusted Ruby and spelled with one hand, _"We have to stop at some point."_

Ruby hummed a quiet agreement.

The two stopped talking, waiting for the end of their descent.

Hopefully wherever they landed, it would be near Crescent Rose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When Neo signs I use italics and quotes because when I was researching how to write sign language, I found that the top three ways Deaf people prefer to see sign language written is italics, quotes, and quotes and italics.
> 
> Ruby knows the alphabet and some basic signs. So when Neo uses more complex ones/ones that are unfamiliar to Ruby I'll be describing the sign (like when Neo signs "Trust me".)
> 
> Also there will probably be plenty of times when Neo just mimes something out when she thinks it will be too difficult to finger spell or Ruby wouldn't understand.

**Author's Note:**

> I do not have a plan for this fic beyond "Strawberry Shortcake Endgame" and "Alice in Wonderland Allusions". I am going to try and keep this to 14 chapters but. god who the fuck knows
> 
> Also Ruby fighting using Gambol Shroud's pistol version. Because one-sided Ladybug is the name of the game baby!
> 
> Ages of characters in this fic (before anyone comes @ me with the _"Miles said Neo is an adult!!!"_ ):
> 
> Ruby - 17  
> Neo - 18  
> Blake - 18  
> Yang -19  
> Weiss - 19  
> Jaune - 18  
> Ren - 19  
> Nora - 19
> 
> anyway follow me on tumblr @branwyns


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